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IN THE NEWS

CMS released the MDS 3.0 RAI Manual v1.17 and related MDS forms, effective for October 1, 2019. The RAI Manual and related MDS documents can be found on CMS’ website, which can be accessed here. (5/20/19)

CMS posted the MDS 3.0 Final Item Sets (v1.17.1) to the MDS Technical Information webpage. To access the item sets, go to the MDS Technical Information webpage and scroll to the download section and select the link to the zip file MDS3.0_Final Item_Sets__v1.17.1 For Oct 1 2019 [ZIP, 4MB]. This version is scheduled to become effective October 1, 2019. (4/11/19)

MedPAC met in Washington, DC April 4-5 for their regularly scheduled April 2019 Public Meetings. During these meetings, MedPAC Commissioners discussed a variety of topics related to Medicare payment, including expanding value-based payment in Medicare, the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), the validity of post-acute care (PAC) provider-reported functional assessment data, and emergency department spending. NASL's summary of the meeting is available to members here. (4/11/19)

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NASL submitted comments to members of the Congressional Telehealth Caucus in response to their Request for Information (RFI) seeking stakeholder input related to a comprehensive telehealth-related and remote monitoring package for the 116th Congress. (4/1/19)

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) held a hearing entitled, Implementing the 21st Century Cures Act: Making Electronic Health Information Available to Patients & Providers. The hearing featured four witnesses, who provided commentary on the efforts to implement health IT provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act through the two proposed rules issued by CMS and ONC. Senate HELP Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) noted in his welcome that the rules are complicated, but “lay out a path toward interoperability.” (3/26/19)

CMS will be hosting a 2-day Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) in-person ‘Train-the-Trainer’ event for providers on May 7th and 8th, 2019, at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center in Kansas City, MO. This event will be open to all SNF providers, associations, and organizations. A full agenda for this event can be accessed in the downloads section at the bottom of the SNF QRP Training Webpage. Registration for this in-person training is limited to 250 people on a first-come, first-serve basis. CLICK HERE to register. (3/26/19)

MedPAC releases its March 2019 Report to Congress. NASL members may read a summary of pertinent portions of the report here. (3/15/19)

President Trump released his preliminary budget blueprint, “A Budget for a Better America,” outlining the Administration’s priorities in spending for fiscal year 2020, which begins October 1, 2019. The President’s budget supports a number of HHS missions by prioritizing the Administration’s commitments to reform, strengthen, and modernize the American health care system, lower the cost of drugs, and streamline a number of federal programs. The budget proposes $87.1 billion in discretionary budget authority and $1.2 trillion in mandatory funding for HHS. Conversely, the President’s Budget proposal aims to spend $845 billion less on the Medicare program, $1.5 trillion less on Medicaid – instead allocating $1.2 trillion in block-grant programs to states, and $25 billion less on Social Security. (3/11/19)

The 60-day comment clock began ticking yesterday, March 4, 2019, when two major HHS proposed regulations on improving interoperability and patient access to electronic health information were published in the Federal Register. ONC and CMS coordinated the release of these major proposals, with each agency releasing pre-publication versions on February 11, 2019 at the start of the HIMSS global conference on health information and technology. NASL has prepared a brief summary and overview of each proposed rule, which is available here. (3/5/19)

CMS announced updates coming in April to Nursing Home Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System to strengthen this tool for consumers to compare quality between nursing homes. According to CMS, the updates to Nursing Home Compare are part of a broad range of updates that have been under development for the last several years. The Nursing Home Compare website and Five-Star Quality Rating System were created to help consumers, their families, and caregivers compare nursing homes and identify areas they may want to ask about when looking at nursing home care. (3/5/19)

CMS issued the CY2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) Final Rule, which takes effect on or after January 1, 2019. The Final Rule updates Medicare Part B payment policies, payment rates and quality provisions for services under the Medicare PFS and is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on November 23, 2018. Read NASL's full Summary and Analysis. (11/1/18)

The National Association for the Support of Long Term Care (NASL) is a trade association representing the legislative and regulatory interests of companies that provide physical, occupational and speech-language pathology therapies; portable x-ray/EKG and ultrasound; health information technology systems; and products such as complex medical equipment, parenteral and enteral supplies, equipment and nutrients; and additional specialized supplies for long term and post acute care settings nationally. The mission of NASL is to represent ancillary service providers and suppliers in the long term and post acute care community on healthcare policy and to advocate for high-quality, cost-effective care.